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Friday, 30 January 2015

As any corporate traveller knows, how you travel is critical to comfort, employee satisfaction and ultimately productivity. Businesses need to balance the cost of travel and the quality of the experience for their travellers – increasingly important as companies continue to streamline costs. Here are the most important factors to consider when hiring a car for business travellers:

Understand the value of a quality provider to you, your travellers and your organisation

The vehicles employees drive whilst on company business are, to a degree, a reflection of the business

Never compromise safety through choosing a low quality and corner-cutting rental option

Look at the whole cost of the hire including extras such as sat nav, unlimited mileage terms etc

At first glance one rental option may look cheaper than another however the cost of extras varies significantly and may even be offered free

Extras, such as sat nav, may come built into premium models and therefore do not need to be added as a chargeable extra, this can minimise the price differential between premium and economy rentals

Maximise corporate discounts and reward membership schemes

Most rental companies offer discounts, rewards and benefits for corporate rental and leasing

Take advantage of frequent traveller membership schemes

Look for membership schemes that are cross-sector, for example hotel, airline and other travel industries to earn and use points more easily

Look for branch convenience with a network of branches in the locations you need, that are open at the times you need

Well established car rental companies are more likely to offer a good spread of branches nationally and internationally, maximising flexibility and convenience as well as enabling a single service provider internationally

Don’t wait, save time with extended opening times including 24 hour service options

Consider delivery and collection services for the ultimate in convenience and time-saving

Consider chauffeur services and hire a driver with your car

Improve the traveller experience, reducing stress and enabling a more restful journey (and also potentially time to work in the car!)

Reduce driver liability and risk of accident with a professional driver service

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

It is a fact of modern life; nobody reads the documentation. From the technology we buy, to the software we use, to the financial agreements we enter into we maintain a serene distance from the tangled legalese of the documents that supplement these exchanges. Less than 8% of users read software agreements, which may be why so many people are shocked to learn they don’t actually buy music from iTunes, they simply licence it.

There was an example last year of a hotel in Blackpool deploying the surreptitious art of the small print. The Broadway Hotel charged a couple £100 for leaving a bad TripAdvisor review with the justification that the clause was included in their booking T&C. The terminology used by the hotel is broad, “For every bad review left on any website…” Theoretically posting a photo with a derisory caption of the offending room on your Instagram account could lead to a punitive pay out.

The most disconcerting element here is that the hotel chose not to notify the couple that money was going to be debited, breaking trust between travellers and hotelier in relation to their banking details. In my estimation a more professional process would be to contact the couple about the offending article and offer them a chance to remove or redact it while citing the hotel’s policy.

So what should travellers be aware of? Firstly check the standard inclusions, breakfast, Wi-Fi, taxes, etc. and make sure they meet your expectations. Secondly have a go at reading the T&C supplied with your booking. These can sometimes be impenetrable but should at least contain section headings to let you navigate to find what’s important. Finally if you’re not sure, ask, hotels would rather answer a simple question than deal with a disappointed, or angry, customer.

Hotels should always strive to present a clear picture of potential charges. This ranges from tax inclusivity in rates through to charges for late checkout, currency conversion fees, Towel deposits and similar, preferably through the use of a single sheet summary attached to the booking. The simpler and clearer it is put, the less disagreement there can be later on. Meanwhile travellers should seek out as much information as possible as complacency about the costs associated with staying at a hotel may have a sting in the tail.

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Despite
a year where terrorism, tragedy and natural disasters adversely affected
business travellers globally, a quarter of organisations still do not have a traveller
risk management strategy in place and nearly half of those (11 per cent) don’t
intend to introduce one in the foreseeable future.

However,
despite this, 91 per cent of travel managers say they see the duty of care of
travellers as part of their role and 89 per cent work with their TMCs (travel
management companies) to ensure their travel programmes are responsible.

These
are some of the results from a survey carried out by the Business Travel Show,
Europe’s leading exhibition and conference for travel buyers and managers,
which takes place 25-26 February 2015 at Olympia Grand in London. The survey
also highlighted that, out of the top 20 issues facing buyers this year,
traveller safety hobbled in at number five, behind challenges associated with cost
cutting and compliance.

The
survey of 179 European travel buyers also asked buyers about their programmes’
sustainability credentials. 40 per cent do not have sustainable travel
programmes, though half of these claimed that is because they achieve
sustainability targets through other areas within the business. 43 per cent of
programmes are sustainable and 17 per cent are planning to make them
sustainable.Comparative results from
the last five years are below.

Is your travel programme sustainable

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

Yes

43

62

37

33

42

No - we focus on sustainability in other areas of
the company

20

No - not economical

6

10

9

12

12

No - not priority

14

21

32

36

25

No - planning to though

17

8

23

19

21

Fewer organisations are using travel alternatives,
such as video conferencing. Just 52 per cent are using them more frequently,
compared to 60 per cent last year and 64 per cent in 2013.

How much are you using travel alternatives?

2014 v 2013

2013 v 2012

2012 v 2011

2011 v 2010

2010 b 2009

More

52

60

64

44

46

Less

8

4

14

4

2

Same

40

36

23

11

52

There’s
no denying it’s a good thing that 75 per cent of travel managers are operating
responsible programmes but, in this day and age, when there are so many very
real threats to traveller safety all over the world, it’s equally shocking that
one quarter of organisations do not. Traveller
security and risk management should be at the top of the agenda for buyers this
year with good reason, and that’s why we address these issues throughout the
2015 conference programme.

This post was written by David Chapple, event director, Business Travel Show. To register for a free pass for the show, which takes place 25-26 February 2015, please visit www.businesstravelshow.com/register.

Sunday, 25 January 2015

Business travellers are set to benefit from a raft of
innovations in 2015 as technology rapidly evolves within the hotel
accommodation sector. My predictions for the year ahead are as follows:

1) Improved
bookability of hotels for business travellers

In 2015, business travellers are set to benefit from
improved content when booking accommodation as hotels realise that content is
king when it comes to converting bookings.

Hotels are quickly starting to realise, that it’s not just
location and price, but also that the breadth and depth of information they
provide can have a major impact on the conversion of searches to bookings in
both online and offline environments.

This will mean that business travellers save time in finding
a hotel that best suits their needs as they will be able to access much
improved photography for each property, detailed information about facilities,
booking conditions, services and location, room availability and guests’
comments and reviews.

As the functionality of booking engines improve in 2015,
business travellers will find that they start to have more personalised
experiences when booking hotels online.

For example, HRS is trialling a recommendation engine in
2015 which will intuitively match the needs of the traveller to a recommended
hotel. The technology can even ensure that business travellers are receiving
the best rate at that time, even if it is lower than the company’s negotiated
rate. We expect business travellers to trust the recommendation as they become
used to this technology.

3)Hotels
embracing latest technology to bring convenience and personalised experiences
for business travellers

This year, HRS conducted a survey with the Fraunhofer IAO
that revealed that 42 per cent of guests from the UK would rather operate their
hotel room’s lighting, air conditioning and TV via a single device rather than
using a separate remote control or switch.

As the fast-paced high-tech world finds its way into hotels
with tablets instead of guest folders, smartphones instead of room keys, and apps
instead of remote controls, the hotel industry is starting to respond to
customer demands, and we predict that innovation in this area will really take
off in 2015. Hoteliers are starting to recognise that business travellers want
the latest technology and best gadgets available during their stay to ensure
that they have the best experience.

4)Public
work areas on the increase for business travellers in hotels

According to recent research by HRS, 75% of business
travellers in the UK typically have to conduct business duties at the hotel
they’re staying in. In response to this need, we are seeing that there is a
trend for hotels to introduce ‘co-working’ spaces into their public areas to
create pleasant working environments within their lobbies. As a result,
business travellers in 2015 are likely to be able to take advantage of open
space within hotels which are equipped with features such as mains connections,
docking stations and free Wi-Fi.

This blog post was written by Jon West, Managing Director of HRS in the UK
and Ireland. HRS is exhibiting at the Business Travel Show 25-26 February 2015 in London. Register for a free visitor pass at www.businesstravelshow.com/register. Find out more about HRS at www.hrs.com.